Christmas Eve customs, names and table

Christmas Eve customs, names and table

On December 24, we celebrate Christmas Eve or Little Christmas.

Nouns

Evgeni, Evgenia, Women, Noble, Noble, Malcho, Small, Malena, Malin

On Christmas Eve the forty-day Christmas fasts, which began on November 15, end on Christmas Eve. According to popular belief, the Mother of God became pregnant on Assumption Day and gave birth to a young god on Little Christmas, but announced this the next day.

Customs

The whole family gathers for dinner. A New Year's Eve candle is lit and left to burn all night. Once everything is placed on the table, the family sits down and begins to eat. When everyone has finished eating, they get up from the table at the same time. The dining table is not assembled until the next morning, as it is believed that during the night the deceased loved ones will come to collect from the festive table.

A walnut is placed in each of the four corners of the room. This is done to illuminate the four corners of the world. When the ritual bread is broken, the first piece is symbolically left for the Mother of God and the deceased, then for the house, and the next ones are distributed to each member of the family according to age, as well as to domestic animals. After the dinner is over, the table is left untouched, as a symbol of the expected guest.

While men perform rites to protect the home, women, as associated with fertility, prepare a festive dinner. The most important is the kneading of the ritual breads, which starts early in the morning. Then the youngest girls carry "silent" water, that is, they do not speak on the way. With it, the hostess kneads a round pita, called a bogovitsa or a New Year's Eve. Inside he puts silver steam and dogwood buds for luck and health, and on top he decorates it with fruits, grains and dough crosses, which are supposed to bring prosperity. Only the maidens are excluded from the preparation of the loaves, so that they do not take the fertility with them if they leave home.

Whoever draws the coin is lucky. One piece is called the Mother of God. If the coin falls on the named piece, it means that the year will be very fruitful for everyone.

 There is a belief that on Christmas Eve unmarried people can learn the name of their future spouse by eavesdropping on the neighbors. The first little name they say will be the name of the person they will meet at the holidays and marry.

The weather during the year can also be predicted on coal. They are called 12 coals for the 12 months and again the ashes indicate whether they will be favorable to the crop and man. On Christmas Eve, the walnuts are broken, which have been named for everyone already on Ignazhden. If, when broken, they remain whole, if they are white and large, the person will be healthy and go through the year. If the weather is cloudy on Christmas Eve, the spring crops will be good and the bees will bring more honey. If the whole day is cloudy, there will be diseases during the year.

Christmas Eve dishes on the table:

The dishes for Christmas Eve must be lean and an odd number: 7,9 or 11. Boiled wheat, boiled beans, sarmi, stuffed peppers with beans (or rice), oshav, pickles, onions, garlic, honey and walnuts, wine are served on the table.